The present invention relates to measuring arterial pressure. In particular, the present invention relates to a mathematical characterization of the arterial system to obtain time-varying parameters which are highly correlated with arterial pressure.
Current methods used to measure arterial pressure may be classified as either invasive or noninvasive. Invasive techniques employ a surgical procedure in which a catheter is introduced into the lumen of the artery. Pressure within the artery or within the catheter is measured directly with a pressure transducer. Noninvasive techniques commonly employ the inflation and deflation of an occlusive cuff. Such cuff-based systems provide an intermittent indication of systolic (maximum or peak), mean (time average), or diastolic (minimum) pressure values.